My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Thursday, June 21, 2018

New Proverb House Mouse {Sparkle N Sprinkle}

Hi, Everyone! Wishing you a great day, and hoping you are doing well. Summer is in full force here with highs in the mid 90s (34-35C). Our vegetable garden is done except for some hot-hot peppers, okra (for roasting and barbecuing), and field peas (not green peas).

Time for a Sparkle N Sprinkle card.
Today's card is for a dear friend who recently underwent a very serious surgery. It's been a few weeks now, and she is beginning to feel a little better, but has a long way to go. This sweet card should cheer her!

Have you seen the "fix" for blogger comments? If not, click on the red link at the top of my blog.

House Mouse stamps have been among my bestest favorites for over 25 years. They are cute, reveal our own nature to us, and express love and sweetness in the most darling of scenes.

This card is 6" x 6" but the stamp is great for an A2 size as well. White cardstock was folded in half, with pattern paper placed on top.


Some favorite goodies used on this card:


The Mixed Edge Rectangles die set contains 13 dies alternating straight edge and scallop edge. I like these for the value, and also because they make great frames. I also like the Tim Holtz 9.5" Titanium Shears because it is easier free-cutting straight lines with them through just about any material.

A close-up of the sentiment from the Pansies Set heat embossed with pretty Blue Ribbon Detail EP:

The floral spray was made with Tonic Beautiful Brambles, Tonic Autumnal Oak, and Tonic Woodland Aster. The pieces were cut up, embossed with Mediterranean Star EP, glittered with Starfire Ultrafine Glitter, and spritzed with Mica Mist in Fresh Pear. The flower layers were spritzed with water, rolled, allowed to dry, before glittering:

 After spritzing the pieces, I looked at the paper under the pieces. What a great background piece it would make:

Loved the sweet "proverb" in this card. It's a great reminder to anyone who has trouble letting their body mend, too:



Such cuteness and lots of fun to make!


 Challenges I'm submitting this card to:
  1. Aud Sentiments Challenges #206 Anything Goes + Sentiment 7/3
  2. Crafting With An Attitude #40 Anything Goes 7/5
  3. Crafty Animals #15 Anything Goes with Animals 6/27
  4. Monday House Mouse and Friends Challenge #268 AG or birthday - 6/24 
  5. Creative With Stamps Challenge #15 Cute Animals 7/2 (sep post)
  6. Scrapy Land Challenge #92 AG using die brand from SL 7/1 (several Tonic Studios dies listed below)
  7. Sweet Stampers Challenges #21 Animals 7/8
  8. World Wide Open DT Challenge #06 AG for DT (for Sparkle N Sprinkle) 7/15
  9. Morgan's Art World Challenge (June 15) 7/15


SNS Products Used:
Thanks for visiting!
Stamping Hugs,


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Sunflower Collage - Stampendous

Hello, blogging friends! It's time to share a wonderful new stamp for the new Moving Along With The Times Challenge! I hope you can play along. Challenge #74's theme is JUNE BLOOMS - just make sure your card's focal image is a flower(s) and share your card!





We have a guest sponsor this month who will be providing a prize to one lucky player: Crafty Ribbons. My card features Yellow Ric Rac Ribbon. Challenge ends July 4 at 11PM Eastern Daylight Time. Looking forward to seeing your floral creations on the challenge blog!

Today's project contains a bit of mixed media styling, using every bit of this gorgeous 6x6 Stampendous Stamp called Sunny Sketch!

I loved the way it looked with only the color - no glitter or embellishment.


But we all know I can't NOT add glitter! (love the double negative?)


After heat setting with White Detail Embossing Powder, I used assorted Watercolor sprays, markers, and reinkers - whatever was in my stash with colors I wanted to achieve. It was fun and easy! An acrylic block was my palette and I scribbled, dabbed and sprayed whatever color onto it. Then an Aqua Flow brush made easy work of the colors. Be sure to wet your paper before applying color for more fluid blending.

  
This two-pack includes one medium brush and one fine brush.

I stamped a 2nd flower, embossed it, and spritzed with Nuvo Mica Mist in Turkish Rose and Violet Lustre. This effortlessly produced a pearly iridescent flower, resisting the White Detail Embossing Powder. The flower was spritzed with water, and each petal was crimped and shaped. Every 2nd or 3rd petal was cut off so the flower beneath could be seen:


 The flower center was fun! I adhered layers of Pink Fizz MicroFine Glitter, Glass Glitter in Fuchsia and Silver, Silver Leaf Tinsel Glitter and some micro beads on top of Dimensional Glue:

Raspberry Pink Crystal Drops have been used inside the yellow flower, along the bottom border, and a few other places. Dimensional Glue with Starfire Ultrafine Glitter was also used along the border and elsewhere:



Products Used:


Challenges this card is submitted to:
  1. As You Like It Challenges (June 21) Wet or Dry Embossing - Which is your Favorite and Why? - I have always enjoyed wet embossing because of the richness it affords. Watching it raise up into shiny, creamy textures, and marvelous colors, I can't help but be addicted to the possibilities such as resist techniques, simple golden elegance, or making my own metallic or sparkling paper for die cuts. It's a great distressing tool, too. I love playing with my EP! 7/5
  2. Cardz 4 Galz Challenge #74 Sunny Summer Days 7/5
  3. Dare 2B Artzy (June 3) Bright Colors 7/1
  4. Crafting from the Heart #211 Anything Goes 6/27
  5. Crafty Cardmakers #214 Wet or Dry Embossing (white detail EP around all the images). 7/1 (C15)
  6. Creatalicious Challenges #141 AG with flowers 6/29
  7. Morgan's Art World Challenge (June 15) 7/15
  8. Pammie's Inky Pinkies Challenges #1824 Anything Goes 6/25
  9. Stamping Sensations (June 3) Anything Goes 7/1 (sep post aft)
  10. The Creative Crafters #5 Anything Goes 7/12
  11. We Love 2 Create (June 3) Anything Goes Mixed Media (same post) 7/1
  12. World Wide Open DT Challenge #6 - AG for a DT 7/15




On a Personal Note:

My Hoya plant (commonly known as Hindu Rope) is blooming again! Each year, there will be more blooms, as long as I don't trim it, because Hoyas tend to bloom in the same spot each year. Here are 2 draped "ropes" with blooms:



In this bloom, the tiny waxy shell that contains the velvety starburst can still be seen at the bottom of the bloom. It has not burst open yet:


Like Christmas Cactus, Hoyas grow up trees in the wild and have many air roots.

Thanks for visiting today!
love,


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Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Email Notifications for Comments left on Blogger Blogs


Google has fixed the issue of receiving comment notifications on an individual's blog where they are the sole contributor.

The article is here:
https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/blogger/V611KU-BUOQ

NOTE: JULY 5, 2019 -- If you have done this in the past, and it is not working for you, please remove your email address from the appropriate boxes, SAVE. Then wait 60 seconds and add your email address back into the correct boxes. SAVE.

If you want TO BEGIN RECEIVING EMAILS go to your dashboard:

On the left - Go to SETTINGS scroll down to EMAIL and click EMAIL. In the two slots on the right:
COMMENT NOTIFICATION EMAIL
and
EMAIL POSTS TO

add your email address.

SAVE the changes.

You can save up to 10 email addresses per box. This is helpful for group blogs.

An email will be sent to you offering you the choice to SUBSCRIBE. ACCEPT THE INVITATION TO SUBSCRIBE.

You will now receive email notifications. KEEP IN MIND that each and every notification you receive will have an option to UNSUBSCRIBE. If you accidentally hit unsubscribe, the notifications will stop.

IF YOU ARE PART OF A GROUP-CONTRIBUTOR BLOG, just follow the same steps on each blog to receive comments and posts from those blogs.

hugs,
de
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Sunday, June 10, 2018

Fairy Sweet {Sparkle N Sprinkle}

Hello, Blogging Friends! I hope you are doing well. In case this is showing up as a duplicate - it's because I accidentally deleted my post after uploading all my challenges! DUH!

It is hot here, and very humid, just as Florida should be, right?

Our air conditioner is always checked out professionally twice a year because without it, we would be "uncomfortable."

In contrast, I'm showcasing a sweet little fairy and die set called Cerys Hugging Teddy, and using a sentiment stamp for its curlycue qualities, available at the Sparkle N Sprinkle store.

Love this cute stamp. Any color medium would do, but I played with Pearlescent Paints, Nuance Watercolor Powers and Tombow Markers after heat embossing with Gold Detail EP168.



After spraying Nuance Watercolor Powers on watercolor paper, I spritzed with a little water and blended some Pearlescent Paints on top. Both the watercolor panel and some white fun foam were die cut. The foam was traced around the sides and edges with Prismacolor Marker in purple. The foam was then attached to the watercolor piece with 1.5" Tear-ific Tape for dimension. A larger white shape was cut. An application of Zig Two Way Squeeze Glue around the edges grabbed Lavender Iris Semi Transparent Ultrafine Glitter. This is a sparkly clear glitter with lavender highlights. A little Tear-ific Tape on the back of the fun foam, and the panel was attached to the white frame.


For some sparkly texture, I stamped the sentiment "grateful heart" from the Cardinal and Holly Rubber Stamp set, and heat set with Mulberry Star embossing powder:


The mulberry colored base card stock was folded in half. Using the "G" in "grateful," I randomly stamped the curlycue portion of sentiment, heat set with more Mulberry Star embossing powder, to create a frame:


I wish I had photographed the angel's wings before applying Pearlescent paint on top of the shading. In the following 2 photos, please see the change in the wings as the light hits them (you can also see a little of the indigo pearlescent paint in the background, and more of the white around the edges of the panel):



Such a cute little fairy! The DL.Art Store has beautiful, easy to use, crinkled ribbon. This pretty pink hue is part of a 3-color bundle named Vintage Vineyard.

Products Used:


Challenges I'm submitting this card to:


  1. Aud Sentiments #205 Anything Goes + a Sentiment 6/19
  2. A Bit More Time to Craft #69 Angything Goes 6/15 sep post
  3. A Perfect Time to Craft #6 Anything Goes 7/1
  4. The Fairy and Unicorn Challenge (June) Anything Mystical or Mythical 7/7
  5. World Wide Open DT Challenge #5 Anything for DT 6/15
  6. DL.Art Thankful Thursday #229 - Thankful/Grateful card 6/15
  7. Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #83 Anything Goes 6/17
  8. Love to Craft #23 Anything Goes 7/1 sep post
  9. Retro Rubber #88 Anything Goes with a Stamp Older than one Year (I was gifted with this cute stamp and die set in March 2017 and have only used it now) 6/15 sep post 


On A Personal Note:

Have you ever tried growing your own celery? Easy! Cut the bottom off your store-bought celery and place it in a pot with potting soil, keeping the soil most. Baby sprigs begin showing within a week. We planted four of these in February. There is one more left to harvest from these four:


after four weeks, I cut off leaves to use in salads.

6 weeks after planting (and yes, that is the same angel wing begonia as in the pot above):

We moved the pot because of some construction:

3 months after planting, 2 feet tall, ready to harvest some time this week:


We had to dig up the Chinese Lantern bush and all the caladiums for a generator being installed. Looks so ugly:


We have had an unusual amount of rain this winter, and way more than usual this Spring, so the mold and mildew is growing all over the sidewalk. The celery is on the left, and many of the gorgeous giant caladiums cover the Chinese Lantern further down.


Thanks for visiting today!
Love,
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Friday, June 01, 2018

Happy Furth-day! Birthday with Fur

Happy June 1 to everyone!

This month at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies we are sponsored by Sparkle N Sprinkle, where quality digital products are available in several styles and colors!

Until the 28th of June, you may share your critter creations with us, being sure that your animals are the featured element of the project! There will be a product winner and design team picks, as well. 

My card features Sparkle N Sprinkle's Abby's and Walter's Birthday. The darling set has 2 colored versions - one with the background, and one without. I colored this image with Copic Markers, and it is the same colored image available with the digital set, in addition to the black and white version.


The frame was made with Tonic Twisting Verenda Layering Die Set 1113E which contains 11 dies to be used in an assortment of ways. With Nuvo Glue Pen Large I adhered sparkly Starfire Ultrafine glitter to the frame. The Glue Pen is quick drying, even here in humid Florida. Then the glittered frame was adhered with 1/4" Tear-ific Tape to a matching die cut piece of fun foam for added dimension.


The balloons were die cut from a piece of scrap paper that had been heat set with Mediterranean Star Embossing Powder. Fantastic glitter in this EP. The balloon in the back was coated with more Nuvo Glue Pen and dredged with Starfire Ultrafine Glitter to lighten the color a bit, but keep it monochromatic in appearance.  The balloon tails are glittery, too, because a black Copic Marker colored over the embossing powder.

 A fun card to make!

And now it is your turn to play at 2 Crafty Critter Crazies. Looking forward to seeing your fantastic designs!

Products Used:
Challenges I'd like to play in please:

Stamping Hugs,







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